These are the folks responsible for stealing our money and freedom of choice in the socialized trash pick-up fiasco. They are appointed by the county government, so they're not accountable to the people of the county. Nice. Here you'll find contact info for a few of them. Should they be told they've started a war, having violated Natural Law? Or should we retain the element of surprise?

I'm conflicted. Should I pursue my trash-launcher project, or should I start a habit of dumping my trash at the front door of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful (suite 310)? Of course! I can combine the two!

Rather than aiming for the landfill, I'll aim for GC&B! It's a bigger challenge, being six miles away rather than just over one. I'll have to use just that much more gunpowder, eh? Perhaps a guided missile is in order rather than ballistic dead weight. Good thing GPS chips are relatively cheap; makes guidance systems easy. Hey! This is my chance to do real rocket science. Sweet. (Next, brain surgery!) On the other hand, a simple balloon bomber would be more economical--something like a small blimp. It could still be automated (e.g., guided by GPS) very easily. If I can keep material costs down, this could possibly be cheaper than trash pick-up. Maybe aiming for GC&B's roof is better; keeps life stinky for them before they find it, or until it comes crashing through the roof and into their offices.

Here's another option for disposing of trash: a miniature, underground "landfill" for each house.

If you were to use a residential trash compactor with 5000 lbs. of compaction (one of the better ones), you should expect a 10:1 compaction ratio. At an average of 100 dry gallons of trash each week times 50 weeks, that's 5000 gallons per year of trash per household. When compacted, it would be 500 gallons per year, or 78 cubic feet (or 4.27 feet cubed). If you had a little landfill measuring 25 feet wide by 25 feet long by 5 feet deep, you would theoretically have enough volume for trash disposal for about 40 years.

If the trash compactor costs $500, and the backhoe rental costs another $500, that's $1000--plus electricity for the compactor--for 40 years of trash disposal. If your landfill were constructed like a concrete septic tank (at $77.13 per cubic yard), at 1750 square feet (for our 25x25x5 volume) and 4 inches thick, that would be under $1700. Of course, you'll need some reinforcing wire mesh, drains (or waterproofing), forms, trash induction port, and supports. Let's be really generous to Gwinnett and say it's a total of $4000 initial capital outlay. We'll even add in another $1000 to pay generously for emptying the landfill after 40 years. That's $125 per year or just over $10 per month amortized over the 40-year lifespan of the underground landfill.

Gwinnett's socialist trash program is going to charge over $17 per month once it's on your tax bill ($20 per month until then). Of course, over 40 years, it's a sure bet that rate will increase significantly. At an annual inflation rate of 4% (that's probably far too low), that means $17 per month now will be over $80 per month in 40 years. Over 40 years, then, Gwinnett's plan will cost us more than $20,000, as opposed to a generous $5000 for our homemade landfill.

From http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?Typ... (dunno if it'll still be on page 2 as folks are still commenting like crazy):

Posted: Monday, November 17, 2008
Article comment by: Alan Fisher

This is a perfect plan by Connie Wiggins and open wide, she's shoving it right down your throat with a dose of propaganda to ease it. I notice there are too many exterminators driving around. The damage to Gwinnett County homes caused by vermin costs many, many thousands of dollars each year. Properties are depreciated and reconstruction uses new resources that could be used to build new businesses and subdivisions and apartments to attract further crowding of the roads and overload the infrastructure. The county should act immediately to reduce the number of exterminators, mandate pest control and add monthly fees to our property tax bills. There are many properties, both residential and commercial, that are not uniform in the appearance of landscaping. There are also way too many landscape maintenance vehicles driving around, and many of them pull trailers, further deteriorating roads, slowing traffic, and using additional gasoline that pollutes Gwinnett County air. This adversely affects the quality of life for all Gwinnettians except the owners and employees of those companies (and their families), so the county should move immediately to standardize property appearances, implement government-controlled landscape maintenance and charge everyone and every business an equal fee for the services, as we are all equally affected by the appearance of our communities. There are too many painting and roofing companies, as well as too many plumbers, electricians, heating and air service companies and too many furniture and appliance delivery trucks driving around, they are out there crowding our roads, polluting our air, and keeping prices down with their competition. We need Gwinnett County to intervene and eliminate this destructive condition. It's astounding, but there are actually companies from surrounding counties that come into Gwinnett County each day to do business and further contribute to our problems. Let's support Connie Wiggins and the Gwinnett County government to model all business activities after the new solid waste plan as soon as possible. Life will be much simpler, aesthetically pleasing, and greener. Government can do everything better than we can, and it knows what's best for us even if it doesn't represent us. With the savings to the government of not cleaning up after us, a government-run program can administer the distribution of welfare benefits to the families of former exterminators, landscape technicians, painters, plumbers, electricians, etc. I share Robertson services with my ex-wife. Robertson's customer service representative told me there was nothing wrong with that and that only if she complained would they have a reason to be involved. My ex-wife never filled her trash container, and if we lived together, our trash would be in the same container anyway. Connie Wiggins stated that because my home is one of the purported 20 thousand homes that are dumping garbage in the street, I was stealing services. Interestingly, when I raised this point to the Robertson representative, I was told that Robertson sometimes didn't retrieve containers after accounts were closed or suspended for payment issues, and that the Robertson trucks pick up all containers, regardless of account status. So how many of those 20 thousand addresses were dumping in the streets? If Ms. Wiggins says they are then stealing, that is between them and Robertson, and law enforcement agencies, not her. By the way, according to Ms. Wiggins' logic, if you do not have solid waste service billed to your address, and you are placing your lunch trash in the recepticle [sic] next to the business where you purchased your meal, or you dispose of the packing materials of a product just purchased from a retailer in the recepticle [sic] provided, you are stealing services and revenue from Gwinnett County, and there is probably recorded evidence on cameras in the area. I was one of those '5,000' inputs via the GCB web site. I spoke against the plan, as at the time I used my business trash service for my personal trash needs. I know I am not the only person in the county that will now be paying twice for a single need. Again, if the service provider has a problem with my residential trash in my commercial account dumpster, that is between me and them. Ms. Wiggins says I am a thief. Now I am to pay an additional $214 annually, (after the initial implementation period and until the rates are increased in 2010) and I'm getting nothing more than I had before. Now that's smart business. If the county will force all services on my household as described above, I can pay so many additional expenses that my family and I can sit idle at home with the utilities off to pay for it all. This benefit will also serve all county residents since we will be out of the parks, the churches, the businesses and off from our roads. What else can we say? Gwinnett is Great!

Below is an invitation to join the fight against Gwinnett's plan to socialize trash (certainly in violation of Natural Law and perhaps the state constitution). I apologize for Mr. Shaw's numerous typos and misspellings. His heart's in the right place, though, and I encourage you to contact him to request inclusion in this fight against tyranny.

Subject: Gwinnett's trash plan
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:33:48 -0500
From: Don Shaw (trashgwinnett [at] gmail [dot] com)

Helllo to all and thanks for responding. My name is Don Shaw and I along with you will work to restore our rights thatare granted to us on the constitution of the United States, freedonm of choice.

I ask that everyone rreach out and contact as many people as possible that are upset over the new county dictated trash plan. If you would ask them to send their email to this adrress so I may add them to the list as well as ask them to contact others.

As it stands right now the trash haulers are working with an attorney to get an injuction on this plan.

Here are some of my point that I want to fight on.

1) Does the county have the right (legal) to cancel a contract between a company and an individual?

2) Does a governemtn have the legal right to collect debt ( billing) for a private company?

3) Does this violate theConstitution of the State of Georgia?

4) Illegal placement of liabilties on residential propertry? Lines [liens] if bill not paid.

5) Does this plan violate any Code of Ethics of Gwinnett County?

6) Legality of Gwinnett BoC assigning Gwinnett Clean and Beautuful to develop and mange this?

I would like to point out theat there has been another company formed to handle the management of this plan. Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful developed the plan while Gwinnett Celan and Beautiful Services will be managing it. Why did another corporation have to be be formed to handle this, sound like a way to hide some money (shell corp.). Why was this management not bid out. The portion of the $2.97 service charge each month goes to GCB Services. This is $1.30 per house per month or $234,000 per month just to manage this contract.

If anyone can think of any other possible legal violation I would reall appreciate it.

If you would like to call and speak to me I may be reached at 770-294-5255 between the hours of 9am to 2 pm Monday to Friday. I will be travelling this week from Weds to Sunday.

Thanks for getting involved, together we can solve this proble. Please remember to vote in the run off election.

Don Shaw

Official website on the matter:

http://trashgwinnett.com

http://www.gwinnettcbservices.org/Documents/S...

Notice, there can be fines up to $500 per day for violations of the code: failing to recycle, putting your trash out before 7pm the day before collection (no joke), failing to retrieve your trash bins within 24 hrs of collection, etc. Imagine going on vacation for a long weekend, setting the bins at the curb early, and not retrieving them until you return. You could face fines in the thousands! Gwinnett can deputize inspectors to investigate such failures, issue fines, etc., and they carry the force of law (they're sheriff's deputies). Inspectors can be tipped off anonymously by, say, garbage men eying your trash or disgruntled neighbors. Ironically, the fines are not considered criminal charges, so you don't have many legal protections criminals get, but are "civil monetary penalties". (For example, the tipster turning you may keep his anonymity, unlike a criminal case where defendants have the right to face their accusers. Likewise, you get no trial, no defense, no judgment based upon "beyond a shadow of a doubt".) Another little twist is that notification of violations is by first-class mail (way to duck confrontation, you -ussies!); if said mail is lost (mail is a government operation, after all), you're liable for the full fine. Appeals must go through the courts, if the courts are gracious enough to accept your request for appeal. Oh, wait! Aren't the courts, the inspectors, and the law-makers all part of the same "family"? Yeah, you're screwed.

And just for good measure, this pdf copy of the code is apparently not searchable!

Be sure to keep up with the official blog on the matter: http://s266439438.onlinehome.us/2008/11/28/he...

The judge granted us (the competing trash service providers, actually) the requested injunction. Gwinnett's plan is on hold for now. Dunno for how long or what the outcome will be from here.

For now, GCB Services has been terminated. I don't know yet what will happen with GCB itself, but there's too much power and money at stake for this shoddy organization to be disbanded as it should. I fully expect we'll lose the fight in the long run, but the gestapo aspects may be stripped from the deal.

If those two out-of-town companies that "won" the contract in the first go-round get reinstated--I expect they will eventually--you may want to know where to drop off your unwanted bins. We certainly won't be using them if/when they're forced upon us. Here are their local offices:

Waste Pro of Georgia - Atlanta Office
4768 South Old Peachtree Road
Norcross, GA 30071
Ph: 770.777.1447
Fax: 678.240.4250

Advanced Disposal Services - North Atlanta
8880 Old Federal Road
Ball Ground, Georgia 30107
Ph: 770.887.6063
Fax: 770.887.9837

Another tactic might be to "move"--well, insomuch as the trash companies are concerned--such that the bins must be picked up again. Or, my personal favorite, feed the bins into a chipper/shredder and add them to your trash!